Archived News:
A playable demo for Machinarium is now available, providing the chance to
check out a sample of this puzzle/adventure game from Amanita Design ( Samorost).
The demo offers the first three challenges from the full game. The 32 MB
download is available from
AtomicGamer and
Big
Download.
The City of Heroes Website announces plans to hold a double XP
weekend running from Thursday October 8 though Sunday October 11. Word is: "All
participating Hero and Villain characters will receive double the XP, Influence,
and Infamy for their accomplishments in game." They are also using the occasion
to invite back former players for a look-see, saying, "all inactive accounts in
good standing will also be given access to City of Heroes and City of Villains
during the Double XP weekend!"
Destructoid has news that a Modern Warfare 2 map pack is due in
spring 2010, learning this on energy drink cans, of all things, as the
information was on a four-pack of MW2 co-branded Monster Energy drinks that will
eventually be in stores to help promote the game. There are no further details,
but Activision tells them they will be forthcoming soon. They also report Sam's
Club will exclusively offer six-packs of the drink, which will allow access to
the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Combat Training Experience." Activision
tells them this is an "exclusive, online event at Infinity Ward that will be an
in depth look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 this November."
Zed develops an
online gaming universe for PC based on the movie Planet 51 announces plans
for Planet 51 Online, an upcoming free game to tie in with Planet 51, a
CGI motion picture due in November 2009. Here are
some
screenshots, and here's a bit: Planet 51 Online is based on the
computer-generated animated movie Planet 51, a galactic sized alien comedy
developed by Zed Group´s sister company Ilion Animation Studios. Planet 51 is
scheduled for a wide cinematic release on November 20th, 2009, in the USA, and
on November 27th in the rest of countries across 5 continents.
The game is an online virtual world, where you play for free, that allows
players to become a part of and explore the Planet 51 universe, populated by
other fans of the film connected via the internet.
Planet 51 Online creates an educational entertainment atmosphere where players
can meet and chat with other fans online, complete quests and missions that are
rewarded with special virtual items, and play fun games that require
eye-and-hand coordination, memory skills and team work. The game will grow and
evolve with the audience to improve its playing experience.
A new automatic update for Champions Online rolled out this morning,
reports
Massively. The update did not go as smoothly as hoped, and they outline
problems getting things running properly again, and the extensive list of
changes the patch includes.
A new automatic update for The Killing Floor is now available through
Steam. The new version
adds surround sound support for Vista, UPnP support for hosting Listen Servers,
and an improved Map White Listing system to get maps onto the list faster. The
new version also fixes exploits on each official map in Tripwire Interactive's
co-op zombie shooter.
Assassin’s Creed II – your questions answered by director Benoit Lambert on
VG247 asks the game director on the upcoming stealth/action sequel a bunch
of reader-submitted questions. As they
point out separately, one of the answers indicates there will be a little
nookie along the way. "Ezio is a womaniser," is the reply to one reader's
question. "There’s a bit of sex. I can’t say more." Also there's a new
Assassin's Creed II customization interview trailer on
GameTrailers.com.
News.com.au reports on the ongoing efforts by some to add an adult rating to
the video game classification system in Australia (where the highest current
classification is for ages 15 and up), and the efforts by others to prevent such
a change. Adding an R18+ rating to games like they have for movies requires an
agreement from all of Australia's attorneys-general, but South Australian
Attorney-General Michael Atkinson objects, saying, "It certainly does restrict
choice to a small degree, but that is the price of keeping this material from
children and vulnerable adults. In my view, the small sacrifice is worth it,"
the AG says. "People are participating and 'acting-out' violence and criminal
behaviour when they are playing a video game." Thanks
GamesIndustry.biz.
A new
Dragon Age: Origins trailer on GameTrailers.com introduces the city
of Denerim from BioWare's upcoming fantasy-themed RPG. Here's a bit of the
city's description: "Denerim, the capital of Ferelden, began originally as an
outpost of the ancient Tevinter Imperium. Its mages rose up a dark tower from
the side of a mountain, a symbol of the Imperium’s power. As the Imperium faded,
the tower passed to the hands of the teyrns that ruled the region for a
millennium."
Link of the Day:
Build Your Own DHS-Approved -Seasickness Weapon. Okay, you probably
shouldn't build your own, but it makes a wild video. Thanks Neutronbeam.
Impulse Driven announces new patches for Sins of a Solar Empire and
Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment are automatically available through
Impulse for registered customers. The patches update Sins to version 1.18 and
its Entrenchment expansion to version 1.04, and
this forum post has
the quite extensive list of what's changed in the new versions. There is also an
explanation of how the developers at Ironclad went undercover to play a bunch
off games online against unsuspecting opponents to work out the numerous balance changes in the updates. There is also a warning that the patches
invalidate existing saved games.
A new version 1.73 patch for Gothic 3 is now available, continuing the
unofficial support for Piranha Bytes' action/RPG. The patch is available from
AtomicGamer and
The Patches Scrolls.
The patch notes on
TPS offer what's new in both English and German, describing graphic
improvements, new dialog, bug fixes, and more.
Solipsism
announces Neverending Islands, "an exploration game set in a dream-like open
world" planned for release before the end of this year, offering a $5.00
discount and exclusive content to those who preorder. The game will include a
large open world with over 100 islands to explore, hot air balloon travel, and
accessible gameplay for all ages. Here is a batch of
Neverending Islands screenshots showing the game's "whimsical graphics."
Tycoon Games announces
Heileen 2: The Hands of Fate, sequel to their "17th century visual novel"
planned for release for Windows, MacOS, and Linux in November. Here are some
Heileen
2 screenshots, and there's a teaser trailer for the game on the
YouTube. Word is: "Like
Tycoon Games' most recent game, Bionic Heart, the events of Heileen 2 rely
heavily on the user's decisions. The final game will feature more than twelve
unique endings and an enhanced version of the original quest system in Heileen."
The Star Wars:
The Old Republic Blog Post has been updated a couple of times since beta
applications for the upcoming Star Wars MMORPG were announced
yesterday (thanks Ant). They describe the interest in the
testing as "overwhelming" after "a humbling 24 hours," as they address the
difficulties many have encountered attempting to register on their swamped
website. They have bolstered the site, and hopefully it will be possible to get
through now. For those experiencing other problems getting signed up, they have
posted a forum
thread with an ongoing list of solutions to known problems.
A
report on Joystiq says a MechWarrior movie is "in development" at Michael
Eisner's The Tornante Company, quoting that "source" guy who is responsible for
so many rumors. They explain how the former Disney boss' new company got the
rights to do this by acquiring Topps, who had previously acquired WizKids, who
owned FASA. You may recall back in 2003 that there was news of
preliminary plans for a MechWarrior movie involving Dean Devlin and creative
input from Jordan Weisman, but presumably those plans died on the vine at some
point.
The
Blood Bowl Website has word on the latest major update is now available
for the fantasy-themed tackle football game. They say: "This update is necessary
in order to be able to play online, thus we recommend you to let Blood Bowl
update itself automatically next time you launch the game." The version 1.0.1.10
patch can be found on
this
page along with complete patch notes. The patch is also mirrored on
The Patches Scrolls.
A LinkedIn help
wanted ad from Visceral Games (spotted by
superannuation, who else?) reveals that Dead Space 2 is in
preproduction: The previous installment in the Dead Space franchise
received numerous awards for gameplay, visuals, and sound design, and the same
core team is in place to create an even better follow up.
The game is in the later stages of pre-production, ready for production in the
next few months, with many of the navigational and combat mechanics in place. We
have complete autonomy and creative control over our own decisions. The Games
Label at EA is 100% committed to this IP, and has already worked on IP
extensions such as comic, animated features, and action figures.
The promised multiplayer demo for Order of War is now
available, offering a sample of the recently released World War II real-time
strategy game from Square Enix and Wargaming.net. The demo is available on
FilePlanet,
exclusive to their registered users. Back in 2003 plans for a
Call of Duty demo exclusive to FilePlanet met with organized resistance from
the community, but apparently times have changed enough that we are not seeing
similar outcry this time around.
The Battlefield Heroes
Website announces the promised fall update for DICE's
subscription-free online shooter is now live. The update has a bunch of tweaks
and bug fixes along with a new map. They have the complete change log on
Voodoo Extreme.
OnLive has raised a third round of funding from AT&T Media Holdings and others
as they gear up to launch their cloud-based gaming service, reports
VentureBeat. The article offers an extensive recap of the goals of the
service and its potential impact on the games industry should they achieve them,
as well as an outline of the service's investors and competitors. Speaking of
competitors, arguably the most interesting bit is at the very end, suggesting
this funding is as much for patent litigation as OnLive's actual launch, which
may or may not be this year: "Perlman said the company is filing for more patent
protection and that proceeds from the funding will be used to bolster those
efforts, as well as for the launch costs. OnLive already has more than 100
patents and patent applications pending. The company has more than 100
employees."
Battlefront.com now offers a new patch for Strategic Command WW2 Pacific
Theater, updating Furysoftware's World War II strategy game to version 1.03.
The new version includes "dozens of improvements, fixes and enhancements to both
the game engine as well as the editor - many based on feedback from the fan
community forums and email." It also comes with a few warnings: The patch is for
the Battlefront.com English language version only, that previous saved games are
not compatible with the new patch, and the patch is accompanied by an optional
Battlefront.com browser toolbar.
A new patch for Supreme Ruler 2020: Global Crisis is now available to
update Battlegoat's strategy expansion to version 6.6.2, imbuing Global Crisis
with all the new game engine features included with the Supreme Ruler 2020:
Gold Edition. The
patch notes have all the details, and the patch is available on
AtomicGamer and
The Patches Scrolls. Also, this page on the
Battlegoat Forums has a
direct link to a new
version 6.6.2 patch for Supreme Ruler 2020: Gold Edition that's mirrored on
AtomicGamer and
The
Patches Scrolls. Finally, a new version 5.6.2 patch for the original
Supreme Ruler 2020 is now available on
AtomicGamer and
The Patches
Scrolls.
Evolution Vault announces Asgard
Heroes, which is an upcoming browser-based space strategy game with
nothing to do with Norse mythology, in spite of what the name suggests. The game
is being developed by the same team that created
EV Online, which has nothing to do
with CCP's MMORPG, in spite of what the name suggests (is there an echo in
here?). No launch date is set, but you can sign up to receive an update on when
the servers go live. Here's a bit on the game: "Far away in the galaxy, an alien
species prepares intensively for a full-scale galactic war with unknown enemies.
As a future Fleet Commander, your skills and limits are put to the test, by
being willingly stranded on an abandoned colony. You have to rebuild the
existing structures, research new technologies and challenge your other
brothers, who apparently have the same task as you do: to prove themselves
worthy."
Steam News has word that
a new update is now available for Left 4 Dead, Valve's co-op Zombie
shooter. The update has a couple of changes to game variables, and updates
shared libraries and DLLs so dedicated servers will list correctly on Steam
groups and can be found via sv_search_key.
The Deadly Stream
Forums offer an open beta for The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
II - The Sith Lords Restored Content Project, which looks to complete KOTOR
2 with the unused content found on the original game discs for the RPG sequel.
Thanks Mike Martinez via
Eurogamer, where they also point the way to the more ambitious
Knights of the Old Republic II -
The Sith Lords Restoration Project, which is still in the works.
I just came across a
report that Pepsi is planning on bringing back its magnificent throwback
Pepsi and Mountain Dew for eight weeks starting in December. I'm off the soda
with my LPRD, but I may have to give in to temptation at that point.
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